


After Curfew

by lynnaria



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fluff, No Spoilers, Pre-Time Skip, how many students does it take to turn on a candle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-31 11:36:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20114467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lynnaria/pseuds/lynnaria
Summary: Bernadetta had a system for avoiding people as much as she could; She wakes first thing in the morning, so she can get breakfast before the 7 AM crowd piles in. She sat in the front row of class, just outside of professor Bleyth's peripheral vision, so she would not be called upon to answer any questions. She asked to use the restroom right before the lunch bell, so she can be at the dining hall before everyone else, she grabs some fruit and bread and stashes it away in her bag for dinner later, so she wont have to make another trip later. The one problem was the library- Bernadetta was an avid reader, but going to the library was always a hassle. There was too many people, and she always felt like the librarian hated her. He gave her a dirty look every time she returned her books, as if he was judging her for her choices. The plan was to sneak to the library past curfew, but not just past curfew, late enough that the staff would be asleep as well. It was 1 AM, which she considered a pretty late time for anyone to be awake.





	After Curfew

The crickets chirped, echoing through the monestary. A faint dew covered the blades of grass, and the full moon shone on the surface of the calm pond waters. Bernadetta looked to her left, to her right, and to her left again, checking for any signs of danger. She stepped beyond her door, the wood creaking underneath her feet. She treaded down the stairs, only now realizing how muddy her slippers would probably get from this.  
  
It was so quiet, so tranquil. She was so used to students being around every corner, having to hug the walls to avoid confrontation. Being able to stand in the open like this was out of her element.  
  
She stopped atop the large stone staircase to admire her surroundings. She wished she had more chances to appreciate things like this. A breeze blew against her. She burrowed her book under her arm, using her hand to shield the candle stick's flame. The cold air on her bare legs made her become aware of how little warmth a chiffon nightdress provides. She continued into the dining hall, hoping the walls would give shelter from the wind.  
  
Bernadetta had a system for avoiding people as much as she could; She wakes first thing in the morning, so she can get breakfast before the 7 AM crowd piles in. She sat in the front row of class, just outside of professor Bleyth's peripheral vision, so she would not be called upon to answer any questions. She asked to use the restroom right before the lunch bell, so she can be at the dining hall before everyone else, she grabs some fruit and bread and stashes it away in her bag for dinner, so she wont have to make another trip later. The one problem was the library- Bernadetta was an avid reader, but going to the library was always a hassle. There was too many people, and she always felt like the librarian hated her. He gave her a dirty look every time she returned her books, as if he was judging her for her choices. The plan was to sneak to the library past curfew, but not just past curfew, late enough that the staff would be asleep as well. It was 1 AM, which she considered a pretty late time for anyone to be awake.

She was on the second floor now, the final homestretch, but this was the part that caused her the most anxiety- she had to go past the teachers quarters. She tip-toed across the hallway, her teeth clenched the whole time. A large breath escaped from her as she reached the end, relieved. She strode down the final hallway, precariously reaching to open the large wooden doors of the library. Thankfully it was unlocked, and opened with relative ease.

The library seemed so daunting at this time of day. Book cases at every corner, all towering over Bernadetta's head. No one to help her find the book she needed, no one to ask permission from to go upstairs, no glances on her from people over their books.

The poetry books were in the left-most corner, on the 3rd shelf from the top. She rarely picked out poetry books, as she didn't want anyone to know she had an interest in it. But this way, no one would have a clue she checked it out. She walked forward, squinting at the top shelves, looking for something that caught her eye. She noticed a book baby blue in color that peeked her interest, but suddenly-

The girls foot caught on something, she yelped as she fell to the ground, landing with a thud. She dropped the candle and her book, the flame wavered before going out, leaving her with no way to see what was happening.

She felt something under her leg, Something big and warm. She shrieked when she felt a hand grab her ankle, pushing it away. She tried to crawl away, only able to make it a few paces before slipping on her night gown and falling on her back. Something hit the ground in front of her. She scurried backwards, pressing against the bookcase behind her. She pulled her legs closer to her chest as she heard something shuffling towards her.

"Bernadetta-" a voice said, Bernadetta whimpered loudly, only to be met with a hand over her mouth.

_ This is it, Bernie, this is how we go out,_ she thought to herself. Her eyes were wet with tears. She felt her heart pumping rapidly as she said her last goodbyes to this world.

"Shhh... Shhh..." the voice whispered, "You have to be quiet, we are not supposed to be out this late in the night."

Bernadetta recognized the voice as a male one, but her thoughts were racing too much to put a finger on who it was. She sobbed, tears falling down her cheeks.  
  
"Bernadetta? Are you alright?" There was noticeable concern in the mans voice now. He removed his hand from her mouth, instead placing it on her shoulder.  
  
The girl let out another sob, breathing unevenly.  
  
"Hey, hey," a hand clasped her other shoulder, "It is me, Ferdinand Von Aegir, your classmate and friend. I won't harm you."

"F-Ferdinand?" She whispered, sniffling.  
  
"Yes, that is correct." He responded

She reached out, feeling her hand collide with what was probably his face. She dragged her hand down, pinky finger brushing against his eye socket.  
  
"Um, what are you doing?"

"I have to make sure its actually you, who knows if you're actually that scary masked knight or not."

"Do you not recognize just by my voice? This saddens me." She couldn't see him, but she could tell he was doing that pouting face he always does.

"But he could just be imitating you, I wouldn't know." She argued. She leaned back, shoulders finally relaxing. "Gods... I thought I was a goner."

"I apologize. I should have made my presence known, I just was not sure if you were a teacher or not."

She grimaced. "So you tried to trip me?!"

"No, no, no! I was curled up on the ground, trying to hide. You just happened to run directly into me." He explained.

Bernadetta let out a long sigh. "Why are you here, anyways? It's way past curfew."

"Mmm," He began "I'm afraid I have been struggling with terrible insomnia as of late. I've tried everything to fix it, training before bed, eating a larger meal, drinking herbal tea..." He let out a dramatic sigh, "I thought maybe reading a book before bed would make me sleepy, but the novel I picked up earlier is absolutely awful! I found myself wide awake with rage while reading it. So, I came here to find something better suited for me."

She raised an eyebrow. "And that's why you were curled up in a ball in the pitch black library at 1 in the morning?"

"I... In my attempts to find a worthy novel," He cleared this throat. "I reached for an encyclopedia on Almyran weaponry, and my candle stick slipped from my grasp- Of course, I managed to catch it, but to no avail, the light had already been distinguished."

"You didn't bring extra matches with you?" She asked.  
  
"Ah... No, I did not. Did you?"  
  
"Um... Well, no."

They sat in silence for a few moments, slowly starting to realize the predicament they were in. The library had no windows, so there wasn't even the moonlight to help guide them out of here. They had a good 5 and a half hours before anyone would come to rescue them, plus, even if they waited, they would be punished for sneaking out past their curfew.

"So, uh... H-how do we get out of this one?" Bernadetta said.

"I'm thinking." He responded, his tone very serious now.

Bernadetta bit down on her lip. Why did she think this would be a good idea? This never could have worked out. She really must have the worst luck in the world. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Ah! I've got it!" The sudden sound made Bernadetta jump. "The librarian must keep matches in his desk, no? We should search there for some."

She nodded, "Y-yeah, good idea."

She heard more shuffling, which she assumed was Ferdinand getting back up. She suddenly felt a hand hovering over her head; it bumped into her nose, then her neck, she jumped when it grazed her chest, she reflexivly reached to swat it away. Instead, Ferdidnand's hand gripped her own.

"Ah, there it is." He pulled her up to her feet. Bernadetta let go of his hand, dusting herself off.

"Here, take my hand" said Ferdinand.

"W-why?" She brought her hands to her chest defensively.  
  
"So we do not get separated from one another, of course."

"Um, I... I don't wanna." she felt flustered that he insisted on hanging onto her, she wasn't a huge fan of being touched, and the stressful situation was not helping that.

"Huh?" he began, Bernadetta breathed in, anticipating an argument, "I mean... Okay, what about you just... Hang onto my robe, then?"

Bernadetta blinked, surprised. She expected him to scold her and make her do it anyway. She complied, grabbing the back of his robe. It was silky to the touch, probably satin, considering his position. He took a step forward, she followed, not even able walk three steps before tripping on the candle stick she had dropped before.

She fell forward, face planting into Ferdinand's back, she wrapped her arms around his waist to steady herself. She quickly let go, feeling embarrased. Her face was warm with shame.  
  
"Be careful, watch your step." He warned.  
  
"I can't really watch my step when I can't see anything!" She snapped back.

It was silent for a few moments. She gritted her teeth, now feeling guilty.

"Sorry." she whispered. They continued to walk forward, Bernadetta trailing behind him like a lost puppy. Somehow, they reached the checkout desk. They both grazed alongside the counter, finally finding the entrance to the interior.

She heard Ferdinand disheveling through the drawers, some things seemed to be falling to the ground as he did this.  
  
"Find anything?" She inquired

"No, it appears that the only things in here are stationary and such." He let out a frustrated sigh.

They both jumped at the sound of clicks and clacks echoing down the hallway.

Ferdinand gripped her shoulder, pushing her downwards, "Get down, get down." He hurriedly whispered. They sat behind the counter, his arm wrapped around her shoulder protectively.

"Y'know," Bernadetta swallowed nervously, "maybe we should let them find us, we'll get punished but its better than staying here all night."

"Have you gone mad?" Ferdinand whisper-shouted at her.

"H-huh?" She blinked. It wasn't _that_ bad of a suggestion, was it?

"That may have been an option if just one of us was trapped here, but now that there's two of us, a woman and a man, in the middle of the night, do you realize how bad that would make us look?"

Bernadetta's mouth went agape, taking in what he was saying. "You- you mean they would think we were-"

"Yes!" He breathed "How else would you interpret it?"

"I- I dunno, I..." She began, only to be cut off.

"We're nobles, too! They would surely tell our parents."

Bernadetta's stomach dropped at the thought of her father knowing. She's certain she felt her heart stop for a second. "We can't let them find out." She agreed.

"Exactly." He said.

The doors creaked open. Bernadetta held up Ferdinand's robe, in a feeble attempt to cover her face with it. A woman peered in, a candle light illuminating her face. Bernadetta recognized her as Professor Manuela. She wore slippers with heels, and a fluffy white bathrobe. She ducked her head down as Manuela turned her head. She felt the tension from Ferdinand radiating off of him.

"Helloooo...?" The professor said in a sing-songy voice.

The next few seconds felt like hours. The two students jumped at the sound of Manuela yawning from the other side of the library. They both tensed up, hearing the sounds of her footsteps get closer and closer.

"I could have sworn I heard voices coming from this direction..." She mumbled to herself.

The candle light was coming closer. Bernadetta could finally make out the silhouette of her body.

She almost screamed when she felt Ferdinand grab onto her ankle, pulling her towards him. She covered her hands with her mouth. Looking beside her, she could clearly see Manuela's frame. Her leg must have been sticking out from beyond the counter.

The click of her heels came even closer.

"Huh. I guess this place is haunted, after all." said Manuela.

The door creaked open again, and the sound of Manuela's footsteps began to fade away.

Ferdinand and Bernadetta both let out a deep breath, sinking back down. Thank the Goddess.

Bernadetta suddenly became very aware of her surroundings; her face was buried into Ferdinand's neck, his hands gripped her knee and her waist tightly. She, for the first time, was very glad that they couldn't see each other, as she knew her face was as red as a tomato right now.

"U-Um..." She squeaked.

"Hmm?" his voice was almost directly in her ear. "Oh!" He removed his hands from her, scooching away haphazardly. "I- I apologize! It was most unbecoming of me to grab you like that."

"Uh, it's- it's okay." She mumbled

This was one of the more awkward silences of the night, which is saying a lot, because there were many. She tapped her fingers along the floor, thinking of anyway she could kill herself now to get out of this situation. Ferdinand let out a small cough. It didn't help.

"I m-might have an idea." Shockingly, Bernadetta breaks the silence.

"What might that be?" He asked, voice strained.

"There's an alter on the second floor of the library, it has a bunch of candles so... there has to be matches too, right?" She offered

"Bernadetta! You are a genius!" He praised her.

"I-I mean, I just put 2 and 2 together..." She muttered

She heard him get to his feet, and extended her hand out in anticipation. He grabbed it, helping her up again. She grabbed his robe again, and they began their move.  
  
"But how will we get up the stairs? Surely, climbing a staircase that steep would prove dangerous when we cannot see it.

"Oh... Good point..." She pondered the question "It would probably be easier for me to climb up them, since my limbs are smaller, it's harder for me to trip."

"Shorter limbs, hmm? Now that I think about it, you're right, at that level of incline, I would be at more of a risk of error than you."

"It's an easy fix though- If you crawl on your knees instead, it shortens your height. Plus, then you could use your hands to feel out in front of you." She said, slowly working it out as she spoke.

Ferdinand stopped dead in his tracks. "Bernadetta." He spoke, voice deathly serious.

"W-what?" Bernadetta's shoulders hiked up in fear.

"You... Are so smart!" He said, "I never imagined your problem solving skills would be this adequate. I can see now why you were chosen to join the academy."

Bernadetta blushed. "U-um! You're making a big deal out of nothing, really. It was a simple solution, anyone could have figured it out."

"Give yourself more credit. There is a reason you've made it this far, you know?" he heartened. "You made the right decision coming here. You may not see your talents, but I know I do."

Bernadetta smiled sadly. "You make it sound like I had a choice in coming here."

"Huh? Did you not?" He inquired. "I am confused."

"I was basically forced. They threw me in a suitcase and shipped me off here. I really didn't want to go." She sighed.

"In a suitcase?! Your own family would do such a thing to you?" Ferdinand said, horror in his voice.

"Yeah... In all honesty, I don'd get along with them very well." She wasn't sure why she was telling him this. He was actually the worst person to tell this. He was a higher ranked noble than her, plus he had a pretty big mouth."U-um... Forget what I said just now. It's fine, actually."

"That is not fine at all! You know, as the Prime Minister's son, I can have a stern talking to with them-"  
  
"No! Please!" She winced. "Please... Don't do that." She shuddered at the thought. "My father will have my head if I cause him any embarrassment, especially from someone like you."

"But..." He started,

"No. Just. Please... Can we get the matches and get out of here? I hate this." She began, treading off as she finished.

"Alright, I'll drop it for now. Let's start climbing."

  
Bernadetta felt around the alter, letting out a sigh of relief when she felt a small cardboard box in the corner. She fiddled with the box, nearly opening it from the wrong side. She scratched along the sides of the box, looking for the rough edge. She struck the side with the match stick, revealing a glowing flame.

"I feel as if it's been 10 years since I've seen light." Ferdinand exhales.

"Yeah, same here." The girl lit the tallest candle on the table and took it from its holder. She Looked over at Ferdinand for the first time, and let out a small giggle.

"Whatever are you laughing at?" He said. He wore a button down pajama set with a burgundy satin robe. But atop his head, interestingly enough, sat 4 large hair curlers.

"Ahahaha!" Her body shook with laughter.

"Oh, ha ha." He rolled his eyes, "Ferdinand likes to maintain his hair style, how quirky and weird."

"I'm sorry! It just, um, really caught me off guard." She coughed, trying to cover up her laugh.

"Whatever, Let's just get ourselves out of this accursed place." Something tells Bernadetta he was still sore from her laughing fit.

Though the two nearly had panic attacks attempting to slip past the teacher's quarters this time, they made it to the ground floor with relative ease. Though the moon light was welcome, the cool air assaulting her face was not. She shivered and drew her arms to her chest.

"Bernadetta? Are you cold?" Ferdinand whispered.

"Oh, no, it's okay, we'll be back in our dorms soon anyhow." She assured him

Ferdinand frowned. "Here, hold this." He handed her the candle stick.

"You really don't have to..." She protested weakly.

"No, I insist." He draped his robe around her shoulders. "There. Better?"

He took the candle back. "Mmm..." She tried to cover her face with the newly acquired layer.

It wasn't long after that the dormitories came into view. Bernadetta wanted to drop everything and sprint to her room at this point, but decided to restrain herself for now.

"Hey, Bernadetta?" Ferdinand looked down at her.

"Mmm-hmm?"

"Despite everything, I did enjoy speaking with you. I think that's the longest period of time I've been around you without you running away in a hurry."

"Ah ha ha..." She laughed awkwardly. It was true, Ferdinand may very well hold the record for the person she's spent the most time alone with at this school. She usually avoided him like the plauge, as she had convinced herself that one misstep in front of him would be the downfall of her lineage , but this entire night was one gigantic misstep, so she accepts that there's nothing to lose anymore.  
  
He really wasn't as bad as she thought- He could be arrogant, yeah, but he did seem to genuinely care about her and listen to what she had to say. This was the last person she'd ever consider to become her friend, but, strangely enough, she's glad things worked out like this.

"Will you be able to sleep after this?" She asks.

"Huh? Why would I not be able to?" He raises his eyebrows at her.

"You said you have insomnia, remember?"

"Insomnia...?" His brow furrowed in thought, "Oh! Yes! I had nearly forgotten. To be truthful, I am too exhausted right now to even remember I once had it. I will be sleeping very well after today."

"Well, I'm glad at least one of use solved our problem."

They came to a stop at the green house. Ferdinand turned towards her.  
  
"Try to sleep in if you can. Rest is very important for your body." He said

"Um, yeah, I guess I can do that." She looked down at her shoes, which were now brown with dirt in the front.

He took a step towards the staircase. "Ah! And sweet dreams."

"Uh, yeah, you too." She mumbled.

Once he was out of site, the young woman was quick to dart to her room. She nearly slammed the door behind her, but opted to not so she wouldn't wake anyone up. She jumped into her bed, where she could finally scream into her pillow in peace.

**Author's Note:**

> its my first time writing these two so i hope i did alright! it was really fun, i think their personalities mesh really well, i'm hoping i'm not the only one who decided to marry these two.


End file.
